Itty bitty birds, so small you almost think you imagined them when they flit by, rarely get noticed. The birds that get all the attention are usually the flashiest, like the birds of paradise. The toughest ones, like hawks and eagles, also hog the spotlight. Tiny species deserve a little attention too. Meet some of the world’s smallest bird species.

This colorful bird is a species of African finch with sky blue feathers, and males have a spot of red on their cheeks that make them look like they are perpetually blushing. Individuals only grow to be about five inches in length and weigh only about .35 ounces on average. That’s roughly the weight of just three pennies. This species can be found in the wild in central and eastern Africa.

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With the verdin, we move from blue to yellow, and from Africa to the southwest United States and Mexico. This small bird is a species of penduline tit and is only about 4.5 inches long when fully grown. It is second only to the 4.3-inch American bushtit as the smallest of the passerines on the continent. The verdin can be spotted foraging insects among desert scrub plants or snagging a little dried sugar from hummingbird feeders every once in a while.

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The lesser goldfinch is the smallest North American finch of the Spinus genus. It may very well be the smallest true finch in the entire world, growing to an average of just 3.5 to 4.7 inches in length. The Andean siskin may beat it by a feather for the title, though, as it comes in at an average of 3.7 to 4.3 inches in length. Still, the goldfinch is truly minuscule. It weighs around 0.28 to 0.41 ounces.

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The goldcrest’s scientific name is Regulus regulus, and regulus means “prince, little king.” This species is in the kinglet family and is the smallest of all the birds in Europe. It measures only about 3.3 to 3.7 inches in length and weighs a minuscule 0.16 to 0.25 ounces. The species may be small, but it is mighty and doesn’t mess around when it comes to raising young. As many as a dozen eggs incubate at once, and sometimes a female will have two broods a season.

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The goldcrest may be the smallest bird in Europe, but the smallest bird in the world is the bee hummingbird. It is only 2 to 2.4 inches long (barely more substantial than a bee, hence its name) and weighs 0.056 to 0.071 ounces. That’s less than the weight of a single penny. They make nests of cobwebs and lichen where they incubate eggs the size of peas. The bee hummingbird is native to Cuba and is rarely spotted on other nearby islands. Though it is a tiny miracle among birds, it is listed as near threatened due to habitat loss as forests transition to farmland.

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Despite its small size, the willow tit likes cold weather. Found in sub-arctic Europe and northern Asia, the willow tit is a tiny 4.5 inches long on average and weighs 0.31 to 0.38 ounces — making it about the same size as its neighbor the marsh tit. They look almost exactly alike as well. They do, however, have very different vocalizations.

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This species is tiny but flashy, with plumage of amazing colors and patterns. Found in eastern and southern Australia in eucalyptus forests, it is one of the continent’s smallest bird species at only 3.1 to 3.9 inches in length. The diminutive size helps in their preferred nesting spots: small tunnels. Sadly, this beautiful bird species is facing a decline due to the loss of its preferred forest habitat for human uses such as sheep-grazing or urban development.

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This species has a wee bill (the source of its name) and a tiny body to match. The weebill only grows to be about 3 to 3.5 inches long, and it beats out the spotted pardalote as Australia’s smallest bird species. These petite birds travel in small flocks and live in almost any wooded area, though they love eucalyptus forests the most.

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The Costa’s hummingbird is native to North America’s southwest and flourishes in the desert setting. It is one of the smaller hummingbird species at 3 to 3.5 inches long and 0.1 ounces. The male has a brilliant purple plumage across its head.

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Weighing in at barely two inches in height, the bee hummingbird takes the crown for the smallest bird in the world, even beating out other members of the notoriously small hummingbird family. Their eggs are about the size of a coffee bean and can comfortably be placed in a nest the size of a quarter. Keeping things in currency terms, each bee hummingbird weighs less than a dime. Or to put things in a more naturalist perspective, they’re only a tiny bit bigger than the average bumblebee. Unfortunately, that size also makes them a target for the same animals that would feed on bumblebees — most notably mongoose, wasps, frogs, and spiders.

The Cape penduline tit — sometimes known as the southern penduline tit — is far more prodigious than the world’s tiniest bird. Grayish-yellow in color, these birds extend from the tip of South Africa all the way up into Angola in the east and Zimbabwe in the west. They make their habitats in shrub plains and deserts, roosting and making their nests in high and thorny trees. Their nests are particularly ingenious, resembling a wastebasket and including a hatch that they can pull shut with a foot.

The goldcrest and firecrest share the title for the tiniest bird in Europe, but they actually have a lot in common. Both make their homes in coniferous forests but venture out of their isolated habitats in the winter to forage for food. They’re prodigious throughout the continent, although firecrests tend to be more predominant through southern Europe and even have habitats throughout north Africa.

North America’s smallest bird is the calliope hummingbird, and their flight patterns take them all the way from Canada in the north to Mexico in the south. This elliptical migration pattern covers 5,000 miles — an especially impressive feat considering that these birds are only about 3 inches long. They typically fly low, keeping to flowers that would go unnoticed by larger and potentially aggressive hummingbird species.

Researchers are still trying to figure out even the basic habits of Esmeraldas Woodstar — a highly localized breed of hummingbird that’s the tiniest in South America. Despite measuring only 2.5 inches in length, males of this species stand out due to their brilliant purple throats and the green markings along their bodies that resemble a tiny vest. These birds can be found in deciduous forests throughout Ecuador, and they have a preference for wooded areas at higher altitudes.

The problem is that they can be very hard to find in the wild. The species was thought to be extinct from 1912 until the next spotting of one in 1990 — but even now they’re rarely seen outside of breeding season. Where these birds go for the rest of the year remains a mystery for now. It’s unfortunately also an endangered species that’s threatened by the destruction of its habitats due to logging.

Australia may have a reputation for ecosystems occupied by large and deadly animals, but the petite weebill is proof that this continent is far more diverse than that. Its name is derived from its small size, but it also has a cry that sounds as if it’s saying “I’m a weebill”. These cries are loud and can be heard all year long in environments where this species can be found.

And while these birds may be restricted to the continent, they’re dispersed widely over the landmass, appearing practically everywhere except in particularly harsh sections of the interior. These birds display distinctive plumage that’s a combination of cream and a bright yellow, and they tend to make a home and stay there for the rest of their lives. Highly sociable birds, they’ll hunt in flocks — often including other bird species — and mating pairs will raise their young together.

Found throughout Myanmar, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, the pale-billed flowerpecker is largely unremarkable in appearance apart from its size. Found throughout the Indian subcontinent, this bird is a common sight throughout urban gardens and can be distinguished by its high-pitched singing voice. They have a particular fondness for poaching Singapore cherries from the gardens they forage from, though the biggest part of their diet consists of mistletoe species.

In fact, these birds have developed highly efficient digestive systems designed to help them handle the generally toxic mistletoe. The seed of the mistletoe berry passes through the body in three to four minutes and develops a coating that allows it to stick to trees. Mistletoe is technically a parasite that can leech nutrients from the trees it clings to, but it also serves a vital role in enriching the soil in surrounding environments. That makes the Pale-billed flowerpecker a critical member of the ecosystem.

This species of storm petrel is significantly larger than the smallest birds from other continents, but the fact that it manages to breed at all in this harsh environment is a testament to nature’s resolve. It compensates for its small size by soaring through the troughs of waves — allowing it to migrate long distances despite its relatively weak capacity for flight.

Their travel patterns take them down the Atlantic — and they can be seen from the United States’ east coast all the way down to the most southern reaches of South America. Feeding primarily on crustaceans and small fish, this bird will simply hover over the waters and peck its beak at the surface until it manages to catch some prey.